After the sad news last Friday that Notts County Ladies were no more certain questions have been raised about the sustainability of the league. Of course, the news surrounding Notts County Ladies comes in the same off-season which saw Sunderland (another WSL 1 team) announce that they were going to part-time status after a couple of years being professional. Being professional is all well and good as you can attract better players which means more chance of winning trophies, however it soon becomes apparent that not every club can sustain that as certain clubs linked to wealthy men’s Premier League teams are able to throw money at it without a care in the world. The money element is partly linked into the gastronomical amounts of money they receive through the English Premier League deal, which of course you do not see a sniff off if the men’s team the women’s club is linked to does not play in the top flight. This then means that teams have to budget specifically for women’s teams and as seen with Notts County Ladies the figures simply don’t add up. The quoted figures suggest that in order for the team to play the following season it would have cost £500,000 with only £28,000 generated in revenue from sponsors. This outlines the major flaws in WSL and suggests that unless you are the likes of Manchester City or Arsenal where £1 million can be given away without noticing it in the yearly balance sheet, you will not be able to compete and ultimately struggle. The FAWSL competition started off with much potential especially after the world took note of Great Britain’s performance at the London Olympics in 2012. At the time the competition was new, fresh and had a USP of summer seasons as opposed to the regular winter seasons in an attempt to increase attendances which it achieved in my opinion. In the final season (2016) as a summer league a number of teams averaged over 1,000 supporters per match including Notts County, while Manchester City pulled in over 2,000 on some occasions (although this could be attributed to their constant success). Switching to a winter season like leagues in France and Germany is logical as it gets teams in sync for the Champions League competition and it is suggested that as a result they will do better, only time will tell on that front. Furthermore, the switch makes sense as the league has grown, but with games stretched out and possible more time between games will we see other teams go the same way as Notts County Ladies or possible follow Sunderland’s lead and go part time? This brings me on to other European League which have gone through similar struggles. For example, the Dutch women’s top flight league, or the Eredivisie Vrouwen to give its official name has gone through certain changes in order to make itself more sustainable since forming 10 years ago. the Eredivisie Vrouwen which is in its third reincarnation with its first spell ending in 2012 before a three-year spell as a joint league with Belgium to 2015 and its current spell as solely a Dutch league of 7, 8 and soon 9 teams. Originally the league started with six teams, with only half of them still existing today, the league is currently up to 8 teams with an introduction of a 9th being introduced for the 2017/18 season, thus showing a gradual expansion. On the face of it you may think, “isn’t this similar to what FAWSL are doing?” Well, yes in a way, but the Eredivisie seems to strategically approve teams on a regional basis as opposed to just adding teams with the most money. For example, when a Dutch club folds in the Eredivisie another club from the same region or close by replaces them. Arguably the most successful team in the 10-year period was AZ Alkmaar, but when they decided to discontinue their women’s section, Telstar formed theirs. Same happened when Utrecht stopped theirs with Ajax forming theirs, likewise when Willem II folded, PSV began theirs. By taking this approach teams stay in the same region, thus giving local girls specifically access to a team to support, watch and be inspired. Personally, when FAWSL was launched the FA and those in charge of the competition should’ve looked into having regional team franchises as opposed to be club affiliate sides. This would have made a lot more sense as teams would not be reliant on their male counterparts to provide the cash as well as creating a broader supporter base whereby fans of men’s teams were not put off by going to watch their female rivals. I’m not saying they should’ve scrapped the likes of Arsenal and Doncaster Belles, but just not have them at the top level where the elite players can join, instead using them as more of a feeder club. I’m also not saying that owners of men’s clubs shouldn’t have got involved with women’s football, but instead of pumping money into the women’s affiliated team, pump the money into a regional franchise instead. To me this was the main reason FAWSL was created, in order to provide girls an opportunity to join a club near them and be inspired by the current stars as well as giving the players a living. However, if the current model does not make drastic changes I fear that in 10 years’ time you will only be left with clubs based London and the North West thus cutting off the access to many girls who aspire to be footballers.
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It’s not only the WSL 1 that kicks off tonight, WSL 2 (the second tier) also begins tonight and it’s set to be the most competitive yet with a number of teams capable of promotion. This season sees two teams come into the league, Bristol City (formally Bristol Academy) who finished bottom of WSL 1 last year and were subsequently relegated, and Sheffield who are the first team to be promoted from the Premier League after promotion was introduced. Bristol and Sheffield replace Reading and Doncaster Belles who both achieved promotion to WSL 1 last season, and will join the other 8 teams in WSL 2 in fighting for promotion. There is no relegation from WSL 2 and two teams will be promoted to WSL 1 again this year. Aston Villa A lot of peoples outside bet for promotion and I can see why. The Villains over the past two seasons have been always competing near the top. In the inaugural season of WSL 2, Aston Villa finished 4th behind the three sides which now play their trade in WSL 1. Last season Villa finished one place lower in 5th but the club seem to be making progress all the time. They have also reached the FA Cup quarter-finals this season and are the only one of two sides not in the top tier to make it that far this year. The key player for Villa this year in my eyes is Katie Wilkinson who will need to be instrumental in banging in the goals if they are to challenge for promotion. Bristol City Rebranded and refreshed, Willie Kirk’s women will only have one thing in mind and that is to return to WSL 1 at the first time of asking. Having only managed to win 2 games last season and subsequently got relegated, Bristol took the decision to rebrand from Bristol Academy to join the men’s structure at Bristol City and only time will tell whether this was a correct decision. There has been a lot of rebuilding done here too with certain key members of the squad in the past couple of years opting to stay in the top flight like Angharad James who’s joined Notts County and Sophie Ingle who transferred to Liverpool. However Kirk has managed to rebuild his team with some loan captures from WSL 1 Chelsea as well as striker Olivia Ferguson from Aston Villa who will be charged with banging in the goals. Durham Women Durham in my view are the team that have surpassed expectations in both their seasons in WSL 2 having finished 6th the first year and 7th last year with some expecting them to take home the wooden spoon. Having watched Durham in their recent FA Cup game in which they lost but did tremendously well to reach the fifth round I can say they are a great little outfit with everyone pushing in the right direction. As well as getting players through their link with the University and College, they also get players from local sides Sunderland and Newcastle which help bring the right blend of youth and experience. Beth Hepple will be one to watch this season with her creativity from midfield as well as having an eye for goal too. Everton The Lady Toffees will be eyeing promotion this season after falling short of last season’s expectations missing out on promotion with a 3rd place finish, ultimately finishing 14 points off Reading and Doncaster. Everton did reach the 5th round of the FA Cup this season but couldn’t match last season’s semi-final appearance after losing to league rivals Aston Villa, nevertheless Andy Spence will want his team to bounce back from the recent disappointment and they have the players to do so. The advantage the Toffees have over others is that a core of the group has been with the club for a number of years like defender Gabby George, midfielder Michelle Hinnigan and striker Simone Magill, who will all be key for Everton’s promotion aspirations. London Bees After two disappointing years since re-launching as London Bees (formally Barnet), the London based club will be hoping it’s third time lucky as they look to get it right on the pitch this season. During their first year in WSL 2 they finished bottom on 8 points before improving slightly in 2015 to clinch an 8th place finish and recorded 13 points in the process. I see London Bees finishing in the lower half of the table again this season due to their young and inexperienced squad, however they will have gained experienced over the past couple of years. The Bees task will be made tougher this season having lost instrumental player Lucy Loomes who opted to join Millwall Lionesses, also in WSL 2. Although new manager and former Bristol manager Dave Edmonson will want greater things this year, but I feel it could be a consolidation season. Millwall Lionesses The Lionesses from London have a strong heritage in the women’s game having produced a number of top players throughout the years including Chelsea trio Katie Chapman, Claire Rafferty and Gilly Flaherty. Millwall have a good set-up so should be pushing towards the top of the league and possibly eyeing promotion, although they will be disappointed at last year’s showing having started off well before slipping down the table to an eventual 9th place finish. Having change appointed a new manager in January following last year’s campaign the Lionesses will be starting a fresh as they look to impress the new lady at the helm Rebecca Sawuik. Millwall have plenty of young players to watch out for including new signing Lucy Loomes who joins an attack including Ashlee Hincks and Rinsola Babajide, so expect goals. Oxford United The U’s are a team which I really rate with a number of England youth internationals in their team, thus given Oxford that experience from the international stage which will come in use. When Oxford originally came into WSL 2 two years back I had them down as one of the weaker sides, however they have gone on to prove me wrong and seem to be building something special. Despite finishing 9th out of 10 with 12 points in the first year of WSL 2, they went on to finish 6th last season and subsequently double their points total (24). This year I believe Oxford can go on and push for the top 2, however if they are they need to be more solid defensively having conceded 40 goals last year which is more than double both promoted sides. Sheffield Newly promoted Sheffield who represents the oldest side (Sheffield FC) in the men’s game will be looking to make a good first impression on the league as they look to prove critics wrong and stay competitive throughout the season. Sheffield enters the league having sealed promotion from the Northern Premier League after winning the play-off against Southern side Portsmouth. This season I’m sure the Ladies will just want to get used to life in the second tier and will have the time to do that with there being no relegation from the league this season. Experienced pro Jodie Michalska will be on hand to help the younger players as well as banging in the goals to add to her 3 in the cup this season. Sheffield have brought in WSL 1 experience in the shape of winger come striker Emily Roberts who will be key for them as will goalkeeper Juliana Draycott. Watford Having undergone a mega rebuilding process during the off-season, the Hornets will be looking to bounce back from last year’s dismal showing which saw the team finish rock bottom and only 5 points to show for their efforts. If Watford are to improve this season they will need to improve both defensively and offensively having conceded 55 goals in the league and only scoring 12. The Lady Hornets have recruited cleverly with a number of players arriving from QPR’s successful adding to some quality which the team already has, like striker Anneka Nuttall who will want to improve on her 2 league goals last term. If Watford can get off to a good start then a mid-table finish may be achieved, otherwise they may be scrapping it out at the bottom again. Yeovil Town The Glovers will be one of the fancied sides this season in achieving promotion to WSL 1 having gone close on the two previous occasions. Last season Yeovil finished 4th, level on points with relegated Everton only behind on goal difference, but still finishing 14v points off promotion. While in the inaugural season of WSL 2 Yeovil finished 5th, even further off promotion, so progress is being made. Yeovil will have to cope without instrumental defender Corrine Yorston who opted to re-join Bristol, but they still have Welsh international forward Sarah Wiltshire who in my view could be the league’s top goal scorer this season and for Yeovil sake they hope she will be. Final League prediction
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